


like starlight

by fernweh (lumenera)



Category: Radio Silence - Alice Oseman
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:02:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29630184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumenera/pseuds/fernweh
Summary: EPISODE 3 - brilliance3,241 views • February 28, 2016Universe City15.2k subscribersFunnily enough, hope thrives in places like this, slowly, but surely. Like weeds. It'll show up eventually, but until then, I am here waiting.Scroll down for transcript....
Kudos: 1





	like starlight

_Hello._

_I hope somebody is listening._

_It's me again. Radio. I suppose you know it's me by now, though. I'm not sure no one else knows this exists anymore. In universe city, old technology makes for nothing more than decoration to most, when we've got bots that roam the city, ones that can look you in the eye and canvas archives faster than you can blink. Strange things, indeed, and we humans pale in comparison. But most people don't think they'll make it out of here, and that's where we differ, old sport._

_Today was like yesterday, and the day before, with the only difference is this is the only day the city doesn't realize I can communicate with the outside world. There's this rotating firewall, you see, but I've found a way through that lets me broadcast to you, every week, like clockwork. I'm not really sure how to explain it, and it took me a while and quite a few late nights, but here we are. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned that before, how we got here. I don't quite understand it myself._

_[A pause.]_

_I had classes today. They're the same four every day--boring, useless things, but even in the city plagued with monsters such as this, we have to keep up appearances. Jester--the boy with the bike I was talking about last week--and I have started meeting up before and after lectures. You never know who--sorry--what, what might be lurking, waiting to lure an unexpected student away. That's how they get you, when you let your guard down. It's a bit of an odd partnership we have going, but he's survived this long, so he must know what he's doing, somehow. However, one thing's clear: the less we expect from each other, the better. Attachments are the primary currency in this city, gold waiting to be plucked from our hands, so in the interests of our survival, it's what we'll have to do. He understands, and so do I._

_Hope runs dry in a town like this. I've stopped looking for it in the cracks of the pavement, and started looking for it within myself. It shouldn't be long; I'm thinking any day now will be the day._

_What else is there to talk about?_

_We had another sweep today. They do those, sometimes, when they're trying to catch someone, and I have to duck into the alleyways to make sure they don't find me. They're always random, and I never know if it's me they're after, but I wouldn't be surprised. They never tell you why they're after you. It keeps up compliant, in a way: can't fight back when you live in fear. The spotlights are blinding in a city as dark as this. Electricity is a privilege, not a right, the governors tell us. I supposed it makes it easier to hide what's going on here when it's all dark. I've started hunting for batteries and the like, but they seem few and far in between. We've got the streetlights, but they flicker in and out like mad. The only thing I've been able to fully rely on is the light from my computer screen. It's the governors' way of saying we need to do our assignments; whatever runs our laptops doesn't seem to work with anything else._

_[A laugh.]_

_it's probably why I'm hunched over at my desk while I speak, calling out to the ends of the earth. The spark of hope has been ignited, and I won't stop until it blazes out and I leave this place behind._

_Oh. Another thing. Posters have started going up on the lampposts, in windows of shops. They're silly little things, trying to make Universe City out as an extravagant utopia, when in reality, it isn't. Come to Universe City, they all say. It makes me want to laugh--or cry, I can't decide, old sport. Where did they come from? I'd went to bed and when I'd woken up, they were there, on ever corner. Jester said we should make a game of tearing them all up. I've been thinking about it. Moreso, I've been thinking about the gates. My dormitory is maybe a street over, in the mornings, I could pop over easily and be back before my first class. It's the only part of the walls that aren't, well, walls. They're made of wrought iron of some sort, very durable, but the strangest thing about them is that there's no lock, and they don't open when I push them. The lock could be on the other side, but the gaps are too small for me to reach and find out. I might tear my gloves if I try, or get my fingers stuck. We can't be having that, can we? So I'll just bide my time and observe._

_I do miss the outside world dearly. I don't think I've talked about the food before, but it's terrible, mostly the same everyday. I do miss the crisps at the cornerstore, but they'll wait for me. I do hope I'm not boring you, with all this food talk. It's almost time for dinner, which is why I supposed it's crossed my mind._

_I hope this finds you well, February. The cosmos is vast, and the distance between me and you even larger than that. It's been a long time, hasn't it? Perhaps it feels like one, even though it's only been a week since I've last called out, but I have yet to hear from you. I might have to tinker with the broadcast, find a way to extend its range, but we've been going under the radar so far. I don't want them to find me because of this. I'd like to reach you. The nights have been growing brighter, the stars. You always pointed out Polaris. Gemini seems to shine brightest where we are, though. I'd like to think if I lift my hand out, I can touch the stars. Oh, how lovely that would be, the specks of light illuminating my way, watching out for me._

_I suppose you're happier, not stuck here like the rest of us. I'll find my way out to you soon, I promise. There has to be a way out of here somewhere, hidden, and I'll be the first to discover it._

_February. Are you out there?_

_[static]_

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this on a whim because I've been missing Radio Silence and the idea of making one of the missing episodes came to me at like 4am. Hope you enjoyed <3
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](https://www.lumenera.tumblr.com)!


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